Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at the UNC J-School, gave me a stunning statistic from a report he worked on. It sums up how suddenly and dramatically the 2008 economic crisis hit North Carolina: “From April, 2008 to February, 2009 (a ten-month period), the state unemployment rate rose from 5…
Last week, a reader – clearly crazed by alcohol or the legislature, or both – suggested a new cocktail named for the Governor: the “Bevtini.” (See Gov on Ice, below.) Now he submits a libation in honor of intense, energetic, often frenetic Rep. Pryor Gibson, who is leaving the House to work for Perdue:…
A focus group this week brought into clear focus the opportunities and challenges facing North Carolina Democrats and Republicans. A couple of participants said they’re feeling more optimistic about the direction of the state. Why? “For the first time in a hundred years, we have a legislature that understands where the revenue comes…
These aren’t lofty matters of principle. They’re raw, partisan power politics. In Wisconsin and New Jersey, the battles are between Republican governors and public employee unions. In North Carolina, the battles are over voter IDs and – soon – redistricting. Even Democrats who don’t like public employee unions see unions – and…
The seeds for the 2010 election were sown in August 2009 by the raucous public protests that morphed into the Tea Party movement. Will the public employee protests in Wisconsin sow the seeds for the 2012 election? Democrats hope so. Public employees are a big part of the party’s constituency. Democratic office-holders around…
Set aside the predictable posturing and apocalyptic doom-saying from both sides. North Carolina’s budget debate is a debate we need. Governor Perdue’s proposed budget is a classic North Carolina Democratic progressive budget. It’s a balance of program cuts, higher revenues and protection for education. It’s essentially the same approach that Democratic governors and legislators…
One legislative observer didn’t share my rosy view of Governor Perdue’s State of the State. In fact, her performance inspired him to think of a new mixed drink: The “Bevtini” Short glass Shaken, not stirring Bland, but bitter aftertaste You’re out after only one Clearly, this is someone with too much time…
My 107-year-old grandmother – yes, 107! – died yesterday. She was born the month before the Wright Brothers’ flight in 1903. She raised two children and outlived two husbands. She worked for much of her life and lived at home – and drove – until after she turned 100. She lived long enough…
Legislative Democrats need to extend a laurel and hearty handshake to Republican Rep. Mike Stone of Sanford. Less than a month into the session, he has dragged his party into controversy over secrecy, special interests and pay-to-play – the very sins the GOP inveighed against in last year’s campaign. And I warned them. …
The political sniping began even as chaos still reigned at the White House Correspondents Dinner. My…
A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…
Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…